Titus Andronicus

9 p.m. Wednesday, June 23. The Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street

Details

Although shoegaze references abound when people refer to Glen Rock, New Jersey's Titus Andronicus, the band probably has more in common with the lyrically dense freak-folk outbursts of Neutral Milk Hotel than it does with My Bloody Valentine. Noisy guitars and crunchy vocal effects are merely window-dressing for the quick-witted poetry and infectious hooks found on its The Airing of Grievances EP. Still, Grievances possesses a certain down-home quality that keeps the band's hyperoverdriven soundscapes grounded — and the EP's understated pop songs have enough unbridled energy and grit to maintain a youthful, spontaneous sense of urgency.